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If you are connected to the Server on the network, you can create a network connection to the printer by following "Create network printer connection. After you have created the connection, you can either make it the default printer, or just select it from the list when you want to print to it.

I you want to connect directly to it through it's parallel port, you can purchase a printer cable that converts a USB port to a PARALLEL printer port. There is usually a software driver to support PARALLEL printing through the USB port.

I used the USB to PARALLEL cable to print to a networked printer in my last job, and it worked fine. The other people in the office printed through the network.

If you have an older printer, such as a Dot Matrix printer that only has a PARALLEL port, then you have to use the USB to PARALLEL printer cable.

I believe you can get the cable at Office Depot, or one of the other electronics stores.

I believe that using the USB to PARALLEL cable was faster than the network, but I could be wrong. We use to send 24" x 36" jobs for printing surveys and engineering print jobs.

Make sure you use the proper USB port on your computer. I found out that two of my USB's worked better with the USB to PARALLEL cable. You still have to create a printer connection through the USB port.

From a programming persepective, I assume you are using the common dialog box? That will allow you to access any printers on a given computer. Be it LPT1 or not.

Also, on the notebook, is it connected to the network? If so, why not assign then network printer to LPT1? Just because the printer doesn't have a physical printer port named LPT1, doesn't mean you can't assign it to another output... IIRC, you can even assign LPT1 to a USB.

LPT1 is less a physical location as much as it is a standard for print delivery.

I think you are using some kind of sofware that send the print output directly to the LPT1 port.
With the old NET USE command you can redirect the ouput from LPT1 to any network printer.
In the Notebook exit to DOS and give the following command

NET USE LPT1: \[Computer Name][Printer Name] /PERSISTENT:YES

The switch /PERSISTENT:YES make the redirection permanent, even when you turn off your notebook

To remove the redirection you must issue the following command

NET USE LPT1 /DELETE

I use that command to print from DOS programs to a USB Networked printer in WINDOWS XP and works fine.